Photos: Afghanistan from the Air

Among the thousands of photographs taken every year of US military operations in Afghanistan, viewers can see glimpses of the varied landscape of the country. Below is an image collection of Afghanistan from the air.

In this aerial photo taken Friday, Jan. 21,2011, an Afghan shepherd directs his sheep through an opening in a mud wall as seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011, an Afghan boy stands in a field as he looks up at a a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

A .50 caliber machine gun points out from a U.S. Marine helicopter flying over the opium poppy fields and the Helmand River April 6, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The river irrigates Afghanistan's richest crop, opium poppy, which is later refined into heroin. The illegal crop grown near the Helmand River accounts for the majority of the world's heroin supply. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) #

A view of the varied landscape of Paktika Province from a military helicopter January 25, 2010 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. Paktika, which is roughly the size of Vermont, shares a restive and porous 600 kilometer border with Pakistan. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) #

This photograph taken from a military transport aircraft shows an aerial view of Kunar on December 15, 2009. In a December 1st speech announcing he would send 30,000 more US troops to the war, Obama named a date for a drawdown to begin but he has not stated a deadline for completion of the withdrawal. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images) #

A view of the varied landscape of Paktika Province from a military helicopter January 25, 2010 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. Paktika, which is roughly the size of Vermont, shares a restive and porous 600 kilometer border with Pakistan. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) #

An aerial view of southern Kandahar is seen from the gun turret of a transport helicopter June 2, 2010 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division fanned out in the vast hinterlands south of Kandahar, part of a counterinsurgency strategy aimed at protecting Afghan civilians and legitimizing the government of Afghanistan in the minds of the rural local populace. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images) #

U.S. Army chaplain Carl Subler flies over the Argandab River while moving between bases to celebrate Catholic Mass for soldiers on March 9, 2010 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Military chaplains travel the battlefield throughout Afghanistan, providing a backbone of support for thousands of soldiers struggling with the difficulties of war and year-long deployments away from home. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) #

In this aerial photo taken Thursday, Jan. 20,2011, the Helmand River is seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Thursday, Jan. 20,2011, Afghan men stand next to an auto rickshaw near farmers' fields as seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011, Afghans work in a traditional brick factory as seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011, Afghans play soccer as seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

A gunner sits in the back of a CH 53 helicopter during a flight from Feyzabad to Mazar-i-Sharif on October 14, 2010 near Feyzabad, Afghanistan. Badakhshan province was free of Taliban until about a year ago, when they began infiltrating the region and have since killed several local government officials as well as attacked German ISAF soldiers on at least two occasions. (Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images) #

In this aerial photo taken Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, a section of the Helmand River Valley is seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

A U.S. Marine CH-53 transport helicopter flies over the rugged terrain of Farah province March 17, 2009 in southwestern Afghanistan. The Marines, who expanded into the area November 2008, were joined by thousands more American troops as part of an additional 17,000 U.S. forces being sent to the war. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) #

In this aerial photo taken Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, a Muslim cemetery is seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, a NATO military re-supply convoy kicks up dust in the desert as seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

A French commando is armed at the door of a Caracal helicopter as it flies low over Kabul on October 28, 2008. About 70,000 international troops, 40,000 of them under NATO command, were helping Afghans fight the Taliban who were ousted from Kabul in a US-led invasion launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks. (JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) #

In this aerial photo taken Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, an Afghan vehicle moves through the open desert as seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, camels are seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, an Afghan leads camels across the desert as seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, a section of the Helmand River Valley is seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011, U.S. Marines gather around a colleague wounded by an improvised explosive device as they wait for a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011, the shadow of a medevac helicopter from the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment comes in to land on a mission near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

A U.S. Marine mans a .50 caliber machine gun while flying in a CH-53 transport helicopter April 6, 2009 over Helmand province, Afghanistan. Much of the province was controlled by Taliban insurgents and was one of the fiercest battlegrounds between International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Taliban. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) #

In this aerial photo taken Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011, U.S. Marines drive in a MRAP's as seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

In this aerial photo taken Thursday, Jan. 27 , 2011, an Afghan boy stands in a field as he looks up at a a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment near Marjah in the volatile Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

A U.S. soldier flies over the Hindu Kush after delivering aid to earthquake victims March 28, 2002 in the northern town of Nahrin. A powerful earthquake destroyed homes March 25, 2002 and injured many locals and left many others homeless. Aid agencies and others rushed relief supplies to tens of thousands of homeless Afghans after the devastating earthquake. (Photo Natalie Behring-Chisholm/Getty Images) #

An Afghan man watches as a Blackhawk helicopter from the 101st Airborne flies over his home February 16, 2002 during the helicopter's reconnasance mission in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The helicopters are part of the United States force that was continuing to pursue and fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in the country. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) #

A U.S soldier holds a machine gun as he sits onboard a Chinook helicopter while flying over the Panjshir province, some 100 kilometers north of Kabul, 02 October 2007, as US troops operating under NATO take Afghan media to show them reconstruction projects carried out by Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). (SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images) #

A U.S soldier holds a machine gun as he sits onboard a Chinook helicopter while flying over Panjshir province, some 100 kilometers north of Kabul, 02 October 2007, as US troops operating under NATO take Afghan media to show them reconstruction projects carried out by Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT). (SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images) #

A French helicopter Caracal as it flies over an Afghan village in the Kapisa province on October 28, 2008. About 70,000 international troops, 40,000 of them under NATO command, are helping Afghans fight the Taliban who were ousted from Kabul in a US-led invasion launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks. (JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) #

A view of a small village in the mountains of Afghanistan is pictured as soldiers fly over aboard a French Army Airbus on December 11, 2008. General David McKiernan, the top commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has said that it would take three to four years to build up Afghan security forces sufficiently to reach a "tipping point" leading to less reliance on some 70,000 foreign troops. (JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) #

A member of the air crew mans the rear gun on a Chinook helicopter as it travels to Lashkar Gah base on December 6, 2010 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. (Photo by Leon Neal - WPA Pool/Getty Images) #

A member of the US Marine helicopter CH 53 crew sits at the back door as it flies over Marjah district in Helmand Province on May 3, 2011. On April 2, 2011 the US announced it had killed Osama bin Laden in a covert operation in Pakistan, nearly ten years after the superpower invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks claimed by the Al-Qaeda chief. (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images) #

This aerial picture taken 06 April 2005 shows the Darul-Aman palace, the former house of Afghan King Amanullah (1920-1929), taken from an ISAF helicopter. Afghanistan unveiled 11 April 2005 plans to turn the bombed-out ruins of the former royal palace into the headquarters of the country's first post-Taliban parliament, but appealed to private donors to fund the restoration. Afghan officials backed the plan drawn up by a German architect to restore the Darul-Aman palace built by Afghan King Amanullah Khan in 1924 to its former glory but said private donors would have to foot the 60-70 million dollar bill. (EMMANUEL DUPARCQ/AFP/Getty Images) #

French soldiers perform an aerial patrol in Kabul, 22 December 2007, as part of security measures surrounding the visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The international community cannot afford to lose the "war against terrorism" in Afghanistan, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on a quick visit to the insurgency-hit country. (ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images) #

An aerial view shows the terrain on the Iran-Afghanistan border near the southeastern Iranian city of Zabol on May 20, 2009. Iran gave foreign envoys to Tehran and journalists a rare tour on May 20 of its restive eastern border in a bid to raise awareness and much-needed funds for its war on drugs. (BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images) #

The aerial view from a U.S. Army helicopter as it flies with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates during his visits to the Forward Operating Bases on May 7, 2009 over the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan. (Photo by Jason Reed-Pool/Getty Images) #

A CH-53 helicopter releases flares after being shot at from the ground while flying over Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, on September 18, 2009. Afghanistan had begun contingency plans for a potential run-off to its deeply controversial presidential election as officers recount hundreds of thousands of suspect votes, officials said. (DAVID FURST/AFP/Getty Images) #

In this aerial photograph taken October 12, 2009, a wide strip of farming villages with large compounds of Afghan mudhouses bounded by the Helmand river and an irrigation canal is surrounded by green cultivated fields in the prodominantly dessert terrain. (ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images) #

This photograph taken from a military transport aircraft shows an aerial view of Jalalabad on December 15, 2009. US President Barack Obama vowed December 10 that Afghanistan would not become a "permanent protectorate" of the United States as he defended his decision to begin withdrawing US forces in July 2011. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images) #

An aerial view of agricultural ground near the Afghan mountains are seen from a French military plane on December 31, 2009. France on December 16 signalled for the first time that it may agree to send troop reinforcements to Afghanistan in response to a request from US President Barack Obama. (JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) #

An aerial view shows Salang village covered with snow after avalanches killed at least 165 people at the Salang tunnel in Parwan province, on February 10, 2010. Rescuers recovered the bodies of 165 people killed by a series of avalanches on a treacherous Afghan mountain pass in one of the country's worst such disasters, an official said. (SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images) #